Reviews of Chisos Basin Campground (NPS Campground)

Rating:

8

8

9

Clean Restrooms:

Clean Showers:

Nov 2014 -
$7.00

Beautiful setting. The road into the campground was steep in places with severe switchbacks toward the southern end and is not recommended for RVs longer than 24 ft. The sites were mostly short and not level. The dump station was under construction and not usable. Would have stayed longer but it was so very cold I headed south to Castolon. - mockturtle

Aug 2014 -
$14.00

Rate is full rate for dry camping. Senior Pass is $7 per night. Excellent tent campground. Fair campground for small pop-ups, travel trailers and motorhomes. Pull-through sites are really just parking along wide spot in road. Road side slides may not work. Small rigs only. Though some up to 30' will fit a few spots - they won't be level. No real level RV parking anywhere in campground. There are no showers available at any NPS campground in Big Bend NP. Only pay showers at Rio Grande Village. The scenery, and cooler weather in summer, makes Chisos Basin worth a visit. - PawPaw

Jan 2014 -
$4.00

Extraordinary views surrounding campsite. Well worth the winding road into campground. Suggest you arrive in daylight because the campground is laid out curiously. Many spots are tight to get into and not very level. - Mountain

Reviews of Cottonwood Campground (NPS Campground)

This is the place to escape the hustle and bustle of the big cities (even the small towns). Just a few yards from the Rio Grande, this no-generator campground is ideal for bird watchers and folks just wanting to relax. Thankfully, we stayed in a site shaded by large cottonwood trees. Daytime highs were in the upper 90s with lows around 70. Our fellow campers were quiet. The campground gets lots of day use from birders. Some may intrude on your site but most respect the invisible boundaries. The price reflects the National Park Service's Senior Pass rate (50% off). We'll definitely return, ideally when the temps are a little more moderate. - Desert Beacon

Feb 2013 -
$7.00

Nice Park Service campground, but there this is a no generator restriction for the whole campground. Not all the sites are big enough for a big rig, and it's a first come first served campground. It's a long way in to find that you won't fit anywhere. There's no phone and no wi-fi available, but there is good access to the west side of the park. You might consider camping just outside the park in some commercial parks if you need hook ups and big rig access. - pumper9x9

Reviews of Rio Grande Village Campground--No Hookups (NPS Campground)

Rating:

9

9

9

Clean Restrooms:

Clean Showers:

Dec 2014 -
$14.00

This part of the campground has no hookups but also has two areas, one for generator use (8am-8pm) and no generator use. We were in the generator area so we were able to charge our batteries during the day. It's a beautiful campground, reminiscent of a state park with lots of space between sites. Our site had a couple of trees but no leaves since it was december. Pets are not allowed on any of the trails in Big Bend, but they are allowed anywhere a car can go. Since the campground is pretty large, there is a lot of space to walk them without feeling restricted. There are dumpsters throughout the park, making it easy to throw away trash. They also recycle at the entrance to the campground. There is a water/dump site about 0.25 miles before the entrance to the campground. There are bathrooms at the campground, but no showers. The store which is about 0.5 miles away has pay showers available. The bathrooms also have a sink for washing dishes. Even without hookups, we really liked this campground. It's large, quiet, and the view is incredible. We saw lots of roadrunners and a bobcat in the campground. The park hosts here are super-friendly. At night, the lack of light pollution makes this a fantastic place to view the stars. We would stay here again. - LifeRebooted

Mar 2014 -
$7.00

No hookups but a section of the campground does allow generator use from 8am - 8pm. Sites are large and most have some shade for part of the day. Very windy and dusty. Wind storm came through one night and dust stayed in air for 3 days. Plenty of trails to explore in park but most are located away from this section of park. Campground is right next to Rio Grande River. Some illegal entry apparent - trails around campground have Mexican crafts available with 'donation'. I encountered some crossing river to check on their 'donations' but did not feel threatened by them. Pay showers available at the store - $1.50 for 5 minutes and laundry available at the store as well. Other campgrounds in park do not have showers available. Despite what some might feel are inconveniences, Big Bend is a must see Park. - obxblond

Feb 2014 -
$7.00

$7 per night was for a primitive site at the Rio Grande Village campground using the Golden Age Passport. Dirt/gravel sites are mostly level. Each site has a picnic table and BBQ grill but no wood fires are allowed - ever. Heavy vegetation surrounds the campground and there are spectacular views throughout the 800,000 acre NP. If it’s a clear night, the sky is brilliant with stars. It’s over 60 miles to the nearest town so stock up on supplies before arriving. There are a couple of camp stores if you’re stuck for something. They have a surprising selection, and gasoline/diesel is available but prices are, of course, higher. If you like hiking there are many miles of trails within the park. Biking is allowed on the many roads that allow vehicles. Spacing between the sites is very generous. There is no cell phone reception at all. Good Wi-Fi is available at the camp store. No OTA TV. There is an open-for-about-a-year border crossing into Boquillas, MX which takes you to the town where there are about 150 inhabitants. All the information you’ll need for a visit can be obtained at the camp store or visitor center. - DD Rolling Ranch

Reviews of Rio Grande Village RV Campground--Full Hookups

Rating:

8

7

6

Clean Restrooms:

Clean Showers:

Feb 2015 -
$40.00

This is a clean park, beautiful scenery, a good base from which to see Big Bend. The restrooms and showers are clean and modern. They are closed from 7-8 AM, which seems like the time most people would like to shower - not too customer focused. The showers are $1.50 for 5 minutes. The sites are VERY tight, back in sites. No picnic table and barely space for one anyway. There is no shade. The entire "campground" is paved. There is WIFI at the office only, and it is in and out. One whole day it was out. There is a large laundry with newer machines, but we didn't use it. We made a reservation one day in advance. The park did fill up by night. There aren't too many sites - 20-30. we would stay here again, for proximity to the national park. - JJ1951

Jan 2015 -
$35.00

All back-ins. Electric and water are at back of lot. Sewer connections at side. On one side sewer connections are horizontal. WiFi free, but only at the store. No cable. 50 amp available. Would be difficult with a 45-ft. Rig but doable. - Keith/Ruth

Oct 2014 -
$38.00

I've stayed at Rio Grande Village RV, and the RV park in Lajitas. If your trip to BBNP is primarily going to consist of visiting the Chisos Mountains portion of the park, I recommend you stay at Lajitas instead - it's a few miles further away from the Chisos than RGV, but it's got better facilities. So - RGV RV park. It's a small, narrow parking lot. We had trouble backing our 32' trailer into our slots, because of the trailer across from us. Some of the 40+ foot RV's had even more trouble. Full hookups. it is conveniently located to see all of the eastern parts of the park. There is a small convenience store with a nice range of stuff you might be missing, a laundromat, and a gas station that requires you to leave your credit card with the cashier even though you're a paying RV park customer there for the week. We had no Verizon phone coverage in the park. The store has wifi, and with my Crane USB wifi antenna I was able to pick it up in the RV park. Fairly fast, 4 Mbp/s down, 1 Mbp/s up. The RV park is near the eastern trails. We visited the Boquillias Canyon trail, Ernst Tenaja, Hot Springs, Pine Canyon Trail, and the self-guided nature trail that takes you onto the bluff overseeing the river. It's a big park - be prepared to drive a lot. Do not try to drive down the dirt roads unless you have a high clearance vehicle. - Red Wolf